There was plenty to see and hear from IBC 2012, the broadcast media event held in Amsterdam, September 6-11th, which this year reported record attendance figures.
At the Equinix stand we were able to meet with a host of suppliers and visitors representing the wide range of interests across broadcasting, including the latest developments in IPTV, Video on Demand and connected devices as well as some hot emerging technology in 4K screen resolution and 3D sound.
Of course it helps if the content is compelling enough to make people want to watch it and this was no better demonstrated by the success of the ‘Digital Olympics’ where Barbara Slater, BBC Director of Sport reported that nearly 75 million video requests were made to the BBC Sport website and iPlayer.
Sony were among many companies talking about the promise of ‘4K’, which is the next innovation in screen resolution and far crisper than HD. They worked with satellite operator SES to showcase a 4K transmission into the home and the display was exceptional.
But if seeing is believing, actually hearing the demonstration by Dolby 3D, in conjunction with Philips, of its audio quality alongside an improved 3D picture was equally impressive.
Naturally, any developments in technology place a greater strain on the platform, infrastructure and connectivity that is needed to support it and therefore choice of partners in the true end-to-end media ecosystem is vital for success.
At Equinix, as our recent work with Front Porch Digital has demonstrated, we are well placed to help these companies create, deploy and connect with our in depth experience in meeting media businesses’ new requirements across the globe.
And next year at IBC we’ll also be there to watch, listen and learn about the emerging technologies of tomorrow!
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